Light-weight Linux distribution
A light-weight Linux distribution is a Linux distribution that has lower memory and/or processor-speed requirements than a more "feature-rich" Linux distribution. The lower demands on hardware ideally result in a more responsive machine, and/or allow devices with fewer system resources (e.g. older or embedded hardware) to be used productively. The lower memory and/or processor-speed requirements are achieved by avoiding software bloat, i.e. by leaving out features that are perceived to have little or no practical use or advantage, or for which there is no or low demand.
The perceived weight of a Linux distribution is strongly influenced by the desktop environment included with that distribution.[1][2] Accordingly, many Linux distributions offer a choice of editions. For example, Canonical hosts several variants ("flavors") of the Ubuntu distribution that include desktop environments other than the default Unity or Gnome. These variants include the Xubuntu and Lubuntu distributions for the comparatively light-weight Xfce and LXDE desktop environments.
The demands that a desktop environment places on a system may be seen in a comparison of the minimum requirement of Lubuntu 10.10 and Ubuntu 10.10 desktop editions. The only significant difference between these two distributions released in October 2010 was their desktop environment: While Ubuntu 10.10 included the Unity desktop, Lubuntu 10.10 included LXDE. And, while the minimum requirements of Ubuntu 10.10 were a 2 GHz processor and 2 GB of RAM,[3] the minimum requirements for Lubuntu 10.10 were 128 MB of RAM and a Pentium II.[4]
Overview of some distributions
- ArchBang – inspired by CrunchBang Linux but based on the Arch Linux distribution instead of Debian.[5][6]
- DebianDog - Debian Live CD shaped after Puppy Linux. It is packaged with JWM and IceWM, or Openbox and Xfce. Debian structure and behaviour are untouched.[7][8]
- Parabola GNU/Linux-libre - an Arch-based lightweight system endorsed by the Free Software Foundation.
- postmarketOS – a derivative of Alpine Linux designed primarily for smartphones
- SparkyLinux - a lightweight system based on Debian.
- Void Linux - an independent linux distribution based on the XBPS package manager
Comparison
Distribution | Minimum system requirements | Desktop / Window manager | Based on | Package manager | Image size | Purpose | Latest release year | Maintainer | Created | Founder |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Absolute Linux | CPU: Intel/AMD 64bit
RAM: 64 MB |
iceWM | Slackware | XPKGTOOL | 2264 MB[11] | Desktop | 2020 | Absolute Linux Team | 2007 | Absolute Linux Team |
Alpine Linux | awesome, MATE, Xfce[12] | BusyBox, musl | APK | 8 MB (container), 130 MB (disk) | Lightweight desktop, security[13] | 2020 | Alpine Linux development team | 2010 | LEAF Project members | |
antiX | CPU: Intel/AMD X86
RAM: 256 MB [14] |
IceWM, Fluxbox, JWM | MEPIS < Debian | Synaptic[15] | 700 MB Base, 1GB Full, 310 MB Core | Desktop, portability (with persistence)[16] | 2020 | Anticapitalista | 2007 | Anticapitalista |
Bodhi Linux[17] | CPU: 32 bit 500 MHz (non-PAE)
RAM: 512 MB [18] drive: 5 GB |
Moksha (a fixed E17) | Ubuntu < Debian | APT | 575 MB (Standard), 1024 MB (AppPack) |
Desktop | 2020 | Bodhi Linux team | 2011 | Bodhi Linux team |
BunsenLabs Linux | RAM:
256 MB to run X[19] |
OpenBox | Debian Stable | Synaptic, APT, dpkg | 674 MB (i386, no PAE) 1.1 GB (i386, AMD64)[19] |
LiveCD, LiveDVD, lightweight desktop | 2020 | Core maintainers | 2015 | Core maintainers |
CRUX | CPU: x86-64 (AMD Athlon 64, Intel Core, Intel Atom) or newer processors
RAM: 192 MB (2017)[20] |
OpenBox | - | pkgutils | 1773 MB | BSD / experienced users, lightweight | 2020 | Core maintainers | 2002 | Per Lidén |
Damn Small Linux † | CPU: 486dx
RAM: 8 MB[21] |
Fluxbox, JWM | - | APT (optional)[22] | 50 MB | Desktop | 2008 | 2005 | John Andrews, et al. | |
GoboLinux | RAM: 128 MB RAM
1+ GB for full graphic[23] CPU: x86_64 |
Awesome | - | 1.9 GB[24] | desktop | 2020 | GoboLinux team | 2003 | Hisham Muhammad and André Detsch | |
Knoppix | RAM:
32 MB text 512 MB LXDE 1 GB recommended[25] CPU: 486 |
LXDE | Debian | dpkg | 701 MB | Live | 2020 | 2000 | Klaus Knopper | |
Lightweight Portable Security | iceWM | ArchLinux | 390 MB | Secure live operating system | 2020 | United States Department of Defense | 2011 | United States Department of Defense | ||
Linux Lite | RAM: 768 MB (2020)[26]
disk: 8 GB |
Xfce | Ubuntu | APT | 955 MB | Desktop (Windows users) | 2020 | Jerry Bezencon | 2013 | Jerry Bezencon |
Lubuntu | RAM: 1 GB
CPU: 386 or Pentium |
LXDE | Ubuntu | APT | 916 MB | lightweight desktop | 2020 | Lubuntu team | 2009 | Lubuntu team |
LXLE | RAM: 512 MB (2017)[27]
CPU: Pentium III (2017) |
LXDE | Ubuntu LTS | APT | 1300 MB | older computers, intermediate users | 2020 | LXLE team | 2012 | Ronnie |
Nanolinux | RAM: 64 MB (2017)[28]
CPU: 486 |
SLWM on Nano-X | Tiny Core Linux;[29] MicroCore Linux with BusyBox. | 19 MB | Lightweight, Runs on RAM, advanced | 2015 | Georg Potthast | - | Georg Potthast | |
OpenWrt | CPU: x86 and over 50 router platforms
RAM: 32 MB (2018)[30] 64 MB recommended |
None (headless server) - Includes LuCI admin UI[31] | - | opkg | 6 MB | SOHO Routers | 2020 | OpenWrt developers | 2004 | |
PCLinuxOS |
CPU: 64-bit (from 2016) RAM: 2 GB (2020)[32] |
KDE, MATE, XFCE | Mandrake | APT-RPM | 1.0-3.8 GiB | Live | 2020 | Bill Reynolds | 2003 | Bill Reynolds |
Peppermint Linux OS |
CPU: x86 RAM: 512 MB (v6, 2015) |
LXDE | Lubuntu | APT | 1332 MB | desktop | 2020 | Peppermint, LLC | 2010 | Peppermint, LLC |
Porteus |
CPU: 32 bit RAM: 36 MB[34] |
(multiple) | Slackware | USM | 260 MB (LxQt) | lightweight, portable (with persistence)[16] | 2018 | Porteus | 2010 | Fanthom |
Puppy Linux |
RAM: 256 MB (2017)[35] |
JWM-2.3.2 | Ubuntu LTS from Puppy 6 | Puppy Package Manager | 234 MB (Slacko)[36] | portable (with persistence),[16] lightweight[37] | 2020 | Puppy Foundation | 2003 | Barry Kauler |
Salix OS |
RAM:: 512 MB CPU: Intel Pentium III 1 GHz[38] Hard drive: 8 GB |
MATE, KDE, Xfce, Fluxbox, Openbox | Slackware | slapt-get | 613 MB (Fluxbox), 852 MB (MATE live)[39] | desktop | 2016 | Tomas Matejicek | 2002 | Tomas Matejicek |
Slax |
RAM:128MB (2017)[40] without web browser |
KDE till Slax 8 Fluxbox since Slax 9 |
Slackware till Slax 8 Debian from Slax 9 |
APT | 226 MB[41] | portable | 2020 | Tomas Matejicek | 2002 | Tomas Matejicek |
SliTaz |
RAM: 24 MB loram-cdrom[42] 128 MB loram 256 MB standard |
Openbox | - | TazPkg | 50 MB | Portable. Live (no persistence by default)[43] | 2021 | dev team | 2008 | Christophe Lincoln |
SulinOS |
CPU: Core2Duo RAM: 256 MB 512 MB recommended |
LXDE, Xfce,
Openbox, i3, Gnome, Fluxbox, Mate |
- | inary | 480 MB | Portable, Live | 2020 | Sulin Community | 2016 | Suleyman Poyraz, Ali Riza Keskin |
Tiny Core Linux |
CPU: 486DX RAM: 46 MB[44] |
FLTK/FLWM | Tiny Core Linux | appbrowser (GUI) tce (CLI) | 11 MB (Core), 16 MB (TinyCore), 106 MB (CorePlus) | portable, advanced | 2020 | Tiny Core team | 2009 | Robert Shingledecker |
Tiny SliTaz |
CPU: 386 RAM: 4 MB 8 MB recommended |
None (VNC viewer or headless server) | SliTaz | Tiny SliTaz WEB site[45] | Down to 800 KB, likely a 1.44 MB floppy | Portable. Live (no persistence by default) | 2021 | dev team | 2016 | Pascal Bellard |
Trisquel Mini |
RAM: 256 MB [46] CPU: Pentium II |
LXDE | Ubuntu LTS | APT | 1200 MB | Free software: desktop | 2020 | Rubén Rodríguez Pérez (quidam) | 2005 | Rubén Rodríguez Pérez (quidam) |
TurnKey Linux Virtual Appliance Library |
RAM: 256 MB 2017[47] |
None (headless server) - Includes Webmin admin UI | Debian (a minified base)[48] | dpkg | 212 MB (Core) | Lightweight headless server[49] | 2020 | TurnKey Linux team | 2008 | Alon Swartz, Liraz Siri |
VectorLinux Light |
RAM: 64 MB Light edition 96 MB Standard 256MB Live[50] |
Several / IceWM | Slackware | slapt-get | 618 MB | Desktop | 2017 | - | 2001 | - |
Void Linux |
CPU: ARMv6 Pentium 4 (SSE2)
RAM: 96 MB hard drive: 350 MB[51] |
Enlightenment, Cinnamon, LXDE, LxQt, MATE, Xfce, or none[52] | - | XBPS | 250 MB (i686, without desktop environment) | Desktop/embedded | 2018 | Juan RP and contributors | 2008 | Juan Romero Pardines |
Xubuntu |
RAM: 512 MB (2017)[53] |
Xfce | Ubuntu | APT | 960 MB | lightweight desktop | 2020 | Xubuntu team | 2008 | Xubuntu team |
Zenwalk | Xfce | Slackware | netpkg | 974 MB | desktop | 2018 | development team | 2004 | Jean-Philippe Guillemin | |
Distribution | Minimum system requirements | Desktop / Window manager | Based on | Package manager | Image size | Purpose | Latest release year | Maintainer | Created | Founder |
See also
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